The Postseason Report
Gentlemen – Looking back on the 2019 season, it is clearly a tale of two halves. When the Midseason Report was written, only five franchises were in the positive money. Immediately after that, the league went on a five-week winning streak, highlighted by Week 11, when seemingly everyone cashed in. The rising tide lifted several franchises back to prominence, and the final playoff spot ended up being $800, which is right around the average in past years.
This year, the majority of the league used their wild card bets early in the season, especially the huge crowd that bet the Browns Week 2 and cashed in. However, those loyal Cleveland supporters were rarely rewarded after that, and despite their underperformance, the Browns were the most bet team in 2019 by far (93 total bets), followed by Kansas City (77), Green Bay (65), and New England (64).
Here’s a breakdown of how the league did as a whole each week:
Week 1: +$300
Week 2: +$2,400
Week 3: +$1,000
Week 4: -$9,900
Week 5: -$600
Week 6: -$2,200
Week 7: -$1,200
Week 8: -$2,200
Week 9: -$7,600
Week 10: +$900
Week 11: +$8,500
Week 12: +$400
Week 13: +$1,300
Week 14: +$3,900
Week 15: -$800
Week 16: +$4,400
Week 17: -$2,300
The final cumulative total for the league was -$4,700, which shows what a turnaround it was from the first half of the year. At the midpoint of the season, the cumulative total was -$21,000.
Disclaimer: The following is a completely biased report of the 2019 FMFL Season. The views, opinions, and observations that follow are those of the Executive Director and are completely subjective.
East Division
Chris B. Corey
Final Total: $2,400
Winning Percentage: 0.655
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Did Not Use
Recap: Chris had an all-around solid season. He led the East most of the way and pulled away in December with consistent betting and a strong winning percentage. The only thing he left on the table was not being able to go for the overall crown since he wasn’t far enough ahead to clinch the division. He’s definitely a franchise to be feared in the playoffs.
Grade: A
Donnie Jeffcoat
Final Total: $100
Winning Percentage: 0.500
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 4 – Kansas City – Lost
Recap: Donnie dug himself a big hole in the first half of the year, but then was amazing the last eight weeks of the season (+$2,200 overall over that time). It’s momentum to build upon for next season.
Grade: C
Karl Hungus
Final Total: -$100
Winning Percentage: 0.500
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 4 – Kansas City – Lost
Recap: For a first-year franchise, Hungus made some rookie mistakes, particularly losing his wild card bet early. That and he also bet his hometown Buffalo Bills an astounding 13 times this year. He was in the mix until the last week of the season, and finish pretty much even in all aspects for the season.
Grade: C
Larisa Oleynik
Final Total: $0
Winning Percentage: 0.456
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 2 – Cleveland – Won
Recap: Larisa came on strong the second half of the year, but then was dragged back down to even money in the final weeks. Despite the strong November and December, she was never a real threat in 2019.
Grade: C
Luther Lavay
Final Total: $300
Winning Percentage: 0.579
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 2 – Tennessee – Lost
Recap: Another rookie franchise, Luther went down as much as -$1,300 this season but clawed his way back with the rest of the league. He came up short in the final two weeks, but made it interesting.
Grade: C+
Patrick Bateman
Final Total: $900
Winning Percentage: 0.488
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – Tennessee – Won
Recap: Bateman dipped a bit but kept his head above water enough to make a final push in Week 17 and nab one of the last postseason berths. He managed his bets and money well, and got in despite picking less than 50% winners.
Grade: B
The People’s Champ
Final Total: -$700
Winning Percentage: 0.450
Fines: $600
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – Miami – Won
Recap: The Champ slumped the last three-fourths of the season, punctuated by no bets in Week 16 when he still had a little glimmer of hope for the postseason. If Eli retires, he may rebuild right along with his Giants for 2020.
Grade: D+
Yaz
Final Total: -$1,300
Winning Percentage: 0.471
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 15 – Cleveland – Lost
Recap: Yaz rose up with the rest of the league in November, but then went down with Freddie Kitchens and his Week 15 Browns wild card bet. He ended up in the basement of the East.
Grade: D
North Division
Blossom Russo
Final Total: -$2,400
Winning Percentage: 0.429
Fines: $200
Wild Card Bet: Week 9 – Green Bay – Lost
Recap: Blossom was -$1,800 the last eight weeks of the season and never recovered from her losing wild card bet in the middle of the year.
Grade: D-
Bud Fox
Final Total: $1,700
Winning Percentage: 0.604
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Did Not Use
Recap: Bud pulled away from the rest of the North by winning 60% of his games and didn’t even have to use his wild card bet. He’s primed for a January run, but it’s notable he has never finished higher than 5th in three postseason appearances.
Grade: A-
Kenny Powers
Final Total: -$1,500
Winning Percentage: 0.423
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 9 – Cleveland – Lost
Recap: Kenny bet the Browns seven times this year, including his wild card bet, and here are the results.
Grade: D
Kimmy Gibbler
Final Total: -$1,500
Winning Percentage: 0.444
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 13 – Arizona – Lost
Recap: Kimmy is usually one of the more tactical bettors in the FMFL, but 2019 just wasn’t her year. She was -$100 at the midway point but fell apart in the second half.
Grade: D
Mr. Marbles
Final Total: -$2,000
Winning Percentage: 0.353
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 11 – Dallas – Won
Recap: Even though Marbles won his wild card bet in Week 11, he never seemed to string together consecutive weeks of winning and inhabited the basement of the North for most of the season.
Grade: D-
OJ
Final Total: -$1,300
Winning Percentage: 0.436
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – NY Giants – Lost
Recap: OJ was never better than -$700 after Week 5, and his spread his money around all season but couldn’t put together a winning streak. Is OJ now considered to be a “square” bettor?
Grade: D
T-Ferg
Final Total: $400
Winning Percentage: 0.500
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 13 – Green Bay – Won
Recap: T-Ferg shot up the standings in Week 13 with his wild card bet and even challenged for the North title. However, he lost $500 in both Week 15 and Week 17, with the final week losing a heartbreaker to Derek Carr and the Raiders in the final seconds that knocked him out of the playoffs.
Grade: C+
The Notorious ABT
Final Total: -$1,100
Winning Percentage: 0.490
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – Washington – Lost
Recap: Going -$1,900 the last five weeks of the season ended ABT’s hopes at returning to the postseason. He was another franchise that was right alongside Bud Fox and then faded when it mattered most.
Grade: D
South Division
Boss Hardigan
Final Total: $1,600
Winning Percentage: 0.550
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 11 – Arizona – Won
Recap: A great second half of the season for the Boss, who will make his sixth playoff appearance. Given the rest of the South’s strong performance, he proved himself to hang around the top, even when things got nasty.
Grade: B+
Karl Farbman
Final Total: $2,100
Winning Percentage: 0.588
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 7 – Indianapolis – Won
Recap: Karl ran in neutral for most a solid ten weeks, enjoying a sizable lead over the rest of the South that shrank and then slipped away in December. He was one Jameis Winston interception from winning the division, but one could wonder why he didn’t have more control over the South given his start to the season.
Grade: A-
Kiko Garcia
Final Total: -$300
Winning Percentage: 0.529
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 7 – NY Giants – Lost
Recap: It will be strange to not have the two-time defending champ in the playoffs, but 2019 wasn’t Kiko’s year. Even as he turned things around towards the end of the season, it was too little, too late.
Grade: C-
Neon Boudeaux
Final Total: $2,100
Winning Percentage: 0.561
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 4 – Atlanta – Lost
Recap: Neon got hot in November, got into playoff position and made his move for the South Division crown, but fell a little bit short this year. With how close he came, he must be second-guessing his early wild card bet loss.
Grade: A-
Rick Moranis
Final Total: $200
Winning Percentage: 0.464
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 16 – Kansas City – Won
Recap: Rick made it interesting with a Week 16 wild card bet win, but was done in by too many +$100 or -$100 weeks in the middle of the season.
Grade: C
The Big Hurt
Final Total: -$900
Winning Percentage: 0.489
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 6 – Arizona – Won
Recap: Weeks in the 2019 season in which The Big Hurt won $500 dollars: four. Weeks in the 2019 season in which The Big Hurt lost $500 dollars: five. It was a season of big swings. Maybe a new betting strategy for 2020?
Grade: D+
Thine
Final Total: $2,600
Winning Percentage: 0.691
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 7 – Philadelphia – Lost
Recap: Thine made a remarkable comeback to win the South title and was just a whisker away from the overall title as well. He did this with a near record-breaking winning percentage, and was +$2,700 over the last seven weeks of the season.
Grade: A
Waldo Geraldo Faldo
Final Total: $0
Winning Percentage: 0.535
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 7 – NY Giants – Lost
Recap: Waldo’s winning percentage would lead you to believe he would have finished the year in the playoff picture, but poor money management and a lost wild card bet sealed his 2019 fate.
Grade: C
West Division
Babe
Final Total: $1,200
Winning Percentage: 0.514
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 13 – Chicago – Won
Recap: Babe made a triumphant comeback in the second half, including a +$1,000 Week 13 that put him right next to the West Division leader in December. He couldn’t get the job done, but did sneak into the playoffs.
Grade: B+
Don Mattingly
Final Total: $800
Winning Percentage: 0.480
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 17 – Baltimore – Won
Recap: Do you believe in miracles? Donnie needed to go +$1,100 in the final two weeks and get a little help from Derek Carr (see T-Ferg’s write up) to eke into the postseason, only his second appearance in twelve seasons.
Grade: B-
Dr. Oge
Final Total: -$3,500
Winning Percentage: 0.363
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 9 – Cleveland – Lost
Recap: Shake it off, Dr. Oge (bet the Browns twelve times).
Grade: F
Face
Final Total: -$900
Winning Percentage: 0.400
Fines: $300
Wild Card Bet: Week 2 – Cleveland – Won
Recap: For six consecutive weeks in the second half of the season, Face bet $300 on the Patriots and $200 on the Rams. It returned less than positive results for him, which was a microcosm of his betting this year.
Grade: D
Gordon Bombay
Final Total: $100
Winning Percentage: 0.480
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 2 – Cleveland – Won
Recap: Gordon was right there holding a ticket to the playoffs heading into Week 17, but lost $500 and wasn’t able to cap a great push in the final six weeks.
Grade: C
Judge Smails
Final Total: -$3,700
Winning Percentage: 0.289
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 2 – Cleveland – Won
Recap: Smails’ tailspin was hard to watch this year, but he did do one notable thing – he now owns the record for lowest winning percentage in a season in FMFL history.
Grade: F
Shecky
Final Total: -$2,700
Winning Percentage: 0.295
Fines: $100
Wild Card Bet: Week 2 – Cleveland – Won
Recap: Shecky bet the Browns fourteen times and paid the price. If not for Judge Smails, he would own the lowest winning percentage in a season in FMFL history.
Grade: F
The Beard of Zeus
Final Total: $2,700
Winning Percentage: 0.659
Fines: $0
Wild Card Bet: Week 16 – Kansas City – Won
Recap: Saving the best for last, the Beard made a great December won, including a +$1,000 Week 16 when it mattered most. He hung on for the overall title and well, and will try to ride this wave into the playoffs.
Grade: A
